


Gordon's Perfect Birthday Present

by Mars_McKie



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Birthday Cake, Birthday Presents, F/M, Secret Cupid, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 20:26:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13982721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mars_McKie/pseuds/Mars_McKie
Summary: As Gordon's birthday and Valentine's Day looms, Lady Penelope struggles to find the perfect present for him.For @nibenhutracycas for the TAG Team Secret Cupid.





	Gordon's Perfect Birthday Present

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nibenhu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nibenhu/gifts).



“How about a watch?”

“I don’t really wear watches.”

“Some sunglasses?”

“Nah, I already have a decent pair.”

“A new shirt?”

“You’d buy me a new Hawaiian shirt?”

“No! A nice one for formal occasions.”

“Oh. Then no!”

Penelope sighed. Usually she was excellent at buying presents, but perhaps she had met her match in trying to buy a birthday present for Gordon. She’d never had any problems with buying for him before, but the recent shift in their relationship had changed the social rules for what presents one should buy.

There was the added pressure of Gordon’s birthday falling on Valentine’s Day, so that meant she had to buy him two presents and one of them had to be romantic. This was territory she had never wandered into before.

Because of this, she had taken to the streets of London and combed the shops in search of the perfect presents, but nothing seemed right for Gordon. She had consulted with the highest authority on the matter, Great Aunt Sylvia, who listened to Penelope talk about Gordon and suggested a monogrammed towel to keep in fitting with his swimming interests. The idea had a certain appeal to it, though Penelope put it on the backburner, wondering if it was overly practical. The Duchess of Royston had possibly the worst advice; she said that as Penelope and Gordon had been dating for less than a year, the only appropriate gift to buy him was handkerchiefs. Penelope rejected the idea as politely as possible.

Finally, after racking her brains and dragging Parker and Sherbert around what seemed like every shop on Oxford Street, Parker had finally advised her to just ask Gordon what he wanted. She knew it was the cheater’s way out, but she was at a loose end.

As she paced around his room on Tracy Island the eve before his birthday, Gordon had thus far been uncooperative, dismissing all of the ideas that Penelope had pitched. She was starting to feel desperate.

“Now I sound like a truly terrible girlfriend that doesn’t know you at all,” Penelope huffed, sitting down on the foot of the bed and feeling heavy-hearted.

“Hey, that’s not true,” said Gordon, sitting up from where he laid on the bed. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face and she leaned in to the gentle touch. “You’re going to all this trouble for me; you’re the most thoughtful person I know.”

Penelope snuggled up into Gordon’s chest and he wrapped his arms around her; he smelt of the sea mixed with coconut shampoo and she couldn’t help but breathe deeply. It was a very calming place to be with the evening sun pouring in through the window and his fish tank bubbling away merrily in the corner. That had been one of her more brilliant presents- two Clownfish which flitted shyly in amongst the ferns, looking for stray flakes of food in the water. It sat there as proof that her best presents were ones she didn’t overthink.

It was a pity that she’d already used up that idea.

“Is there nothing that you want for your birthday?” Penelope mumbled into his neck.

Gordon sighed as he considered the offer. “Well... no- actually!” He smiled cheekily. “What would you say to jumping out of my birthday cake?”

“Gordon!” Penelope gasped as she pushed away from his chest, scandalised.

“Not naked!” Gordon quickly added, grinning from ear to ear. “You can choose what you wear!”

“Honestly, I’m shocked!” said Penelope, smacking his arm. He laughed lightly and she realised he was teasing her. “The very notion! What if I were to get cake crumbs in my hair?”

“Nah, there’s a hollow bit inside where you sit and the top swings open on a hatch, so you wouldn’t get any crumbs or cream on you,” said Gordon. “You just end up smelling of vanilla for days afterwards. Seriously, it’s difficult to get rid of.”

“You seem to have a very detailed knowledge of this,” said Penelope, regarding Gordon with a shrewd eye. He shifted under her gaze. “You haven’t, have you?”

“I might have done,” Gordon admitted.

“Why have I not heard of this already?” Penelope squealed.

Gordon grinned embarrassedly. “It was at Virgil’s birthday party last year...”

“I thought you’d all pretended to have forgotten Virgil’s birthday?” said Penelope, frowning.

“That was the year before,” Gordon explained. “We wanted to throw the biggest party possible to make up for that disaster, so we got presents, balloons, music, and the largest cake in the world-”

“Which you jumped out of... while naked?”

“Nah, wearing Speedos.”

“Poor Virgil!”

“Hey!” Gordon threw his arms up in protest and Penelope laughed. “Well, I know what special treat you won’t be getting on your next birthday!”

“Much appreciated,” Penelope twinkled, and Gordon pouted in response. Penelope realised that her having to buy Gordon both a birthday and Valentine’s present must be what it was like every year for people buying her a Christmas present for the 25th, then a birthday present for her on December 26th.

_Oh, the injustice of fate!_ She mused to herself. She had long ago accepted with grace that some friends and family would give her one joint present instead of two, but she was determined that nobody else should ever have to deal with holiday and birthday presents rolled into one. Especially when it was someone she cared about and who deserved the world.

Which brought her back to her present problem-

“In all seriousness, is there nothing I can get for you? For your birthday or for Valentine’s?” Penelope asked.

Gordon shook his head and took her hand in his. “I already have what I wanted most for tomorrow- the chance to spend some time with you.”

Penelope blushed. She had never considered that the answer to her problem could have been so simple. Her mind was suddenly racing with ideas for things they could do together and she leaned in close to Gordon, a soft smile playing across her lips. “Oh, well then... how about I go talk to Scott about giving you leave for the next few days, grab some champagne and glasses, take a walk down to the beach and we’ll watch the sunset together?”

Gordon kissed her lightly and she kissed back, once again getting a waft of that beautiful sea air and coconut. He touched his forehead to hers and said, “That sounds like the best present ever.”


End file.
